One thing I learned about Neil Sedaka from this week’s super new show Laughter in the Rain at Milton Keynes was that his surname rhymes with ‘cracker’ and not ‘darker’.
Another was that he and songwriting partner Howard Greenfield made a long study of hits worldwide before concluding that putting a girl’s name in the title was a sound tip for success.
They went on to top the charts with O Carol.
Aspiring novelists might care to note that something similar seems to apply in their field. But you don’t need a name — just mention of a girl, or girls, is enough.
Look at the current fiction best-seller list. At Nos 1 and 2 comes Stieg Larsson with The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. At No 3 is Jane Green with Girl Friday. At No 4 is Larsson again with The Girl Who Played With Fire. And Martina Cole completes the Top Five with Hard Girls.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here